Eye protection, what's your choice?

Question

I was thinking back to a favorite pair of sunglasses I used to wear while riding. One day, before going for a ride, I washed them. When I put them on, I was shocked by what I saw. The right lens had been shocked, and split into multiple layers, by something I didn't even feel hit them. I could have been blinded, it seems. Now, I wear my regular prescription glasses, which are also rated as safety glasses.

I like what I see so far.
By rated as safety gasses, I did mean ANSI 87.1 protective eyewear. Because we used the older acrylic, instead of polycarbonate for my bifocals, the lenses are a little thicker.

Answer 1

If I'm not wearing a full-face helmet (which is often), I 2nd the vote for Wiley-X's glasses for the majority of my riding. They're very good for the motorcycle application. The thin soft foam "seal" around the lenses do excellent wind-abatement at 90mph, and they're affordable. Mine are the original model that offers change-able lenses.

As far as fashion sunglasses go, I've figured out what works for me. I stay away from glass lenses, for the reason you sited; when they break, they don't break in an eye-friendly manner. Many folks will choose them for their superior optical quality, but the shatter-prone part's a dealbreaker for me. We're not flying jet fighters here, where a spec in your peripheral vision might turn out to be a Mig about to blast you out of the sky...we're riding motorcycles. It's not "mission critical" that your lenses be of the finest optical quality. A decent shatter-resistant polycarb lense is my preference anyday.

And actually, there's one feature I look for that has nothing to do with the lense itself. It's the nose bridge. The nose bridge has to be large enough and located in the right place (on my face) to deflect oncoming wind from going across my eyeballs. That's not an issue with Wiley-X's since the foam seal takes care of that. But if you're wearing normal sunglasses without wind protection that's the single most important feature of a pair of glasses that will dictate whether they work on a bike. The issue is tearing. Even a pair that hugs close to your face (like my Smith Sliders) won't work well as bike glasses if the nose bridge is in the wrong place. Your eyes will tear up big-time and you won't be able to see.

Speaking of not being able to see...there's one time where I don't recommend glasses at all, and that's when it's raining. If you're planning on riding despite pouring rain (or just want to be prepared for it), I recommend having "plan b" ready. Plan b is a plan that includes either a full-face helmet (probably the best option), or a full-on legitimate motorcyle goggle setup that allows gentle ventilation. Even the Wiley-X's will fog up and get condensation inside the lenses if they go through a heavy rain. If you're behind a large windshield you might be able to get away with it. Othewise...you might be stopping pretty often to take off the glasses and wipe the inside of the lense clear.

For the record, my faves at this point are: my Wiley-X's for night-time and cold-weather riding, and my Oakley Pennies during the day. For the rainy weather I have a pair of old-school-style goggles. They're not my fave, but they work well. All have highly shatter-resistant lenses.

Answer 2

At night with my 3/4 helmet I wear yellow safety glasses from the Hardware store, they wrapp around the side of the eye and keeps them from tearing up if wind or debre catch the side of my head. I also have a Windshield onthe 1500 Kaw.
When it is cold at night I wear a full helmet now.
During the day - I work at night so I do not ride as much in sun-
I picked up a set of Bobster googles fromthe bike shop 3 lens yellow, dark and clear. Very nice but tends to fog when I sit at a stop light during colder weather.
Carl

Answer 3

Been there done that as well.! Its a pretty sobering thought even when you havent been drinking.

I wear glasses but they have a lense that changes in the light , the brighter the light the darker the lenses go, polaroid transitions I think they are called but they are prescription glasses for an eyesight problem.

I only wear a full face helmet with the visor down, in summer I use a tinted visor for glare in winter clear.

Cheers , ride safe.

Answer 4

MOST prescription glasses are shatter RESISTANT, but not true safety glasses. These rated lenses will have an emblem molded into the lens material at the time of manufacture. usually, the emblem is in the upper outer corner.
Mine are prescription (I have to wear them also) wraparounds with lenses made out of same material as aircraft windshields. The legs (temple pieces) snap out and an elastic headband snaps in, and a molded foam rubber "eyecup" pops in, turning them into goggles, if need be. Usually, I just wear them as sunglasses though.

Answer 5

you can get a great deal from this site as i know

Answer 6

The best bet for eye and face protection is wearing a high quality full-face helmet that is equipped with a sun visor that provides UV protection as well

Answer 7

I wear Wiley X Glasses which are mil spec, they have auto darkening lense, so I wear them at night also. They are bullet resistant to 22 cal. bullet tested by the company.

They are worth the money. Have saved my eyes from sand in the desert, sand on the hwy, and rocks or other objects from car tires.

Here's a link where you can buy them.

Answer 8

On road - the face shield of my full coverage helmet and the windshield on the bike.

Off-road - Scott goggles, model 89 or 87.

Answer 9

You might want to try a pair of Oakley prescription sunglasses. These babies are tough. I'm including a link to a video on just how tough they are, along with a link to where you can get them online.

Answer 10

Full face helmet... because there's a lot more to protect from the neck up than just your eyes.